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The CIA Keeps Putin’s Secrets

Western governments stayed silent on the U.K. polonium murder of a Putin critic.

By

Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.

Jan. 3, 2017 7:05 p.m. ET

Here’s one more way U.S. intelligence on Russia may not be up to snuff. Many would like President Obama to repay Russian hacking by releasing secret details of Vladimir Putin’s stolen wealth, estimated at up to $160 billion. They may be disappointed to learn the data don’t exist.

The idea of weakening Mr. Putin by laying out his secrets is a good one. We proposed it here three years ago. But even then, when the U.S. Treasury announced sanctions on Mr. Putin’s “personal bank” after his Crimea grab, it was quoting the...